Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-12-28
AI-CESTER

A Lively Town en- the NorthwesterI
Takes n Fresh start in Prosperity.
all have seen the marvellous changes
to man on receiving a small stock o
confidence or material aid when he haG
rearched one OF those "stand still" stations
in life-how it was lnbricatipg oil Co The
mighty machinery Of life, or the infusine
of new motive power into the machine
1t seems to take on new life, q second
growth. The life is inspired with new
hope and courage. This is true in the
life OF a single human being, but it is nc
less true OF q town. The life of q town
is nothing more than individuality in
aggregation. 1t is not a railroad that
builds q toyn, for there have been little
villages by the score, by the hundreds.
and notwithstanding these railroads,
burgs ere LAID ont in the midst of grain
fields and pastures alive with csttle
herds, yet there they stand-stand as
they began. What is the matter? Mat
ter enough. The reason stands out With
a bold front. The men who run the town,
or propose to run the town for there
is no run to the town, are tinid. The
people there run their own business.
They let the town take care OF itself.
The population 10 afraid to make o
venture. But this abandonment would
fire up the lives OF the inhabitants if
they would see q prosperous town. The
old time proverb Is true now as
when first uttered. 1t will apply to the
small towns or Yankton alike. "HaEard
nothing, gain nothing" The people
must make bold strikes il they would
succeed. The fact is She people are
afraid to make the strike fer fear OK loss
and SO she opportunity sails by. An
honsred friend lived In q ceiled
house in Augusta, Kentucky. He had
put thousands into his dwelling. He
was q house carpenter by trade, SO he
received acall to go down to the small
town of Cincinnati and put up q small
house and he would give HIM for his
work either q set of carpenters tools, q
complete outfit, or building lot on
Fifth street. He told the man: "I will
take the tools as / am not the fool to
think that Cincinnati will ever reach
Fifth street" When this conversation
was related the carpenter had long been
stopping with age, but he had lived long
enough to see Fifth street market work
ing and the center. of the city round
about that thorouehfare and to see it
worth enough to cover the ground with
dollars, and the dollars to stand on the
ground edgewise too. "What a splendid
opportunity / lost )" said the old man.
Some are so careful that this is the way
they ever lose.
But | began to tell abont a small town
on the Northwestern. I have been
switched off on another switch, but I
will let ii stand for what it is worth.
Alcester is the little town. II yen
want to find g live town with but few
Inhabitants you may mark Alcester down
for that town. A change has come over
it and t%he.people feel that new life has
been infused into the inhabitants and
the town. The town has started anew.
When the writer was there q month ago
there were two stores in the town, but
these stores were owned by parties in
Hawarden. They were in Alcesser
for the money of the people.
They had no interest in the growth Of
the town only as II brought the dimes to
their till. So the drainage went on and
the town stood still. A few weeks since
q genuine Yankee from the state of
Maine, with a large brsin.and q larger
heart. came to town and gave his motto
to the b~reezes, Live and let live" He
came to stay, to grow up with the town.
He came with o royal name, @ name
dear to every son of New England's
heart. Every thing in a name. So the
merchant brought to that town the name
of Johr Quincy Adams. He came in the
genuine line of the Adams. HIS grand
father was John Adams cousin.
he bad heard much Of the Eemi.tropi.
cal regions of southern California. So
he left the pine clad forests of Maine
end emigrsted to the orange fields OF
California, and run q fruit ranch, but the
~enervatlng influence of the climate told
him that southern California was not
the place for him. He had no thought
OF parting company with the priceless
inheritance he received in energy, cour-
age and pluck from that grand old state
of Maine. So three years was enough
for him in that sunny south. From
California he came to Dakota last June
landed in Sioux Falls and from there he
came to Aioester. His coming has put
new life and hope into the place.
The country about che town has the
pork, the grain and the hay. 1t is doing
brisk business in shipping these pro-
ducts to Chicago. CATTLE driven into th.
town on n morning are on the cars a,
4 p. m. the next morning and the farmer
returns with his money the next day.
III. Hoard is the grain buyer in AL
cester and he is q rustler. He buy
for Archer IL Howe, of Yankton. He
loaded eight cars with grain while you,
correspondent was in the town betwee,
8 O'CLOCK Monday and 8 o'clock the mex
day. Large shipments of hogs are mad,
in this town. To-day q hay press vii